Raptors’ Lowry anticipates special game against Rockets

For one happy Thanksgiving, Kyle Lowry was like most other Houston sports fans, except rather than watching the Texans on his flat screen, he was at Ford Field, cheering and tweeting and offering no sign of professional athlete impartiality.

Lowry had left Houston, sent by the Rockets to the Toronto Raptors in July in exchange for the first-round pick they would flip to get James Harden. But part of Lowry, 26, considers Houston home. And given how proudly he has carried his affection for his hometown of Philadelphia, that says a lot.

“I love Houston,” Lowry, a 6-0 guard, said before returning for Tuesday night’s first meeting with the Rockets since the trade. “I love the people there. I love the city. They really accepted me as a man and as a player. It will always be my home away from home no matter where I am.”

Year of improvement

Lowry thought not of his frustrating last season marked by discord and illness or the late-season collapse, but of good times and achievement as he went from a solid backup to a respected backcourt force.

“That’s why I think it will always be a special place for me,” Lowry said. “I started playing well in Houston. The city and organization gave me the opportunity to do things. It will always have a special place in my heart.”

Lowry said he did not take the trade personally any more than he objected to being traded to Houston from Memphis, where he will play Wednesday in the next step of his reunion tour. But his former teammates expect to see him at his most aggressive and determined.

“He’s going to be coming at us,” forward Chandler Parsons said. “Knowing him, he’s going to want to have a good game. He’s been playing really well this season, too. It’s going to be a big challenge to have a guy with his mindset and his ability coming in here wanting to play really well.”

Lowry is averaging a career-high 18.3 points to go with 6.1 assists in eight games with the Raptors. He missed six games after spraining his right ankle.

He said he is working his way back but has been more frustrated by the Raptors’ run of narrow, often agonizing defeats, including Sunday’s double-overtime loss to the Spurs that dropped Toronto to 3-11.

Raptors struggle

“We have talent,” Lowry said. “We have to put it together. If we can get a three-game, four-game streak, we’ll get to .500 by the break. We have to keep playing and get over that hump to win these games.”

With that in mind, Raptors coach Dwane Casey — a finalist for the Rockets position in 2011 — has leaned on Lowry.

“He’s been a pit bull. He’s given the rest of the players a swagger,” Casey told the Toronto media last week. “He kind of identifies how we want be: tough, a little grimy, and that’s what he’s added to our team. That’s his personality.”

Lowry was open about his disagreements with Rockets coach Kevin McHale last season. Knowing this, Casey has sought to make Lowry a partner in guiding the Raptors’ rebuilding.

“We have a great rapport to try to make the team better,” Lowry said. “People say that me and coaches never got along, but I only had a few coaches.”

Rockets’ respect

It wasn’t that Lowry didn’t make a positive impression on his former Rockets teammates. Patrick Patterson spoke of copying Lowry’s work habits. Jeremy Lin praised him as underrated and said, “There wasn’t one thing he couldn’t do.”

They also expect the competitor they know will want to hit them with everything he has.

“I’m anxious to see how hard he’s going to play,” Patterson said. “When he was with us, his motor was running 24/7.”

That much has not changed, Lowry said. The Texans are not the only Houston team that stirs his emotions.

“It was a decision the Rockets made,” Lowry said. “I never took it personally. It’s just a game, but I am excited to come back.”
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Houston's Cole Aldrich (31) battles for a loose ball against Portland's Wesley Matthews (2) during the first half of the home opener NBA game at Toyota Center, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, in Houston.

Houston's Cole Aldrich (31) battles for a loose ball against Portland's Wesley Matthews (2) during the first half of the home opener NBA game at Toyota Center, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, in Houston.

Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle

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Houston's Chandler Parsons (25) dunks the ball over Portland's J.J. Hickson (21) during the first half of the home opener NBA game at Toyota Center, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, in Houston.

Houston's Chandler Parsons (25) dunks the ball over Portland's J.J. Hickson (21) during the first half of the home opener NBA game at Toyota Center, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, in Houston.

Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle

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Houston's Chandler Parsons (25) dunks the ball over Portland's J.J. Hickson (21) during the first half of the home opener NBA game at Toyota Center, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, in Houston.

Houston's Chandler Parsons (25) dunks the ball over Portland's J.J. Hickson (21) during the first half of the home opener NBA game at Toyota Center, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, in Houston.

Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle

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Houston's James Harden (13) gestures to the audience during a time out during the first half of the home opener NBA game at Toyota Center, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, in Houston.

Houston's James Harden (13) gestures to the audience during a time out during the first half of the home opener NBA game at Toyota Center, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, in Houston.

Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle

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Houston's Marcus Morris (2) hangs from the basket after scoring against Portland's Luke Babbitt (8) during the first half of the home opener NBA game at Toyota Center, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, in Houston.

Houston's Marcus Morris (2) hangs from the basket after scoring against Portland's Luke Babbitt (8) during the first half of the home opener NBA game at Toyota Center, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, in Houston.

Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle

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Portland's J.J. Hickson (21) grabs the rebound over Houston's Cole Aldrich (31) during the first half of the home opener NBA game at Toyota Center, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, in Houston.

Portland's J.J. Hickson (21) grabs the rebound over Houston's Cole Aldrich (31) during the first half of the home opener NBA game at Toyota Center, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, in Houston.

Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle

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Houston's James Harden (13) against Portland's Wesley Matthews (2) during the first half of the home opener NBA game at Toyota Center, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, in Houston.

Houston's James Harden (13) against Portland's Wesley Matthews (2) during the first half of the home opener NBA game at Toyota Center, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, in Houston.

Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle

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Houston's James Harden (13) looks to pass the ball during the first half of the home opener NBA game at Toyota Center, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, in Houston.

Houston's James Harden (13) looks to pass the ball during the first half of the home opener NBA game at Toyota Center, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, in Houston.